


Golden Shield of Brightness

by NerJetii



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Divergence - No Order 66, Getting Together, M/M, Pining, Platonic Soulmates, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28240143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerJetii/pseuds/NerJetii
Summary: Obi-Wan had always known that he was destined to have two soulmates. A platonic one – name scribbled on his left wrist. A romantic one – name delicately curved around his right wrist.Or: A journey through Obi-Wan's life as he finds not just one, but both his soulmates, fights in a war, and gets the happy ending he never thought he would get.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 61
Kudos: 566
Collections: Star Wars Secret Santa 2020





	Golden Shield of Brightness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [meantforinfinitesadness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/meantforinfinitesadness/gifts).



> This fic is a gift to meantforinfinitesadness for the Star Wars Secret Santa even organized on discord. I hope you enjoy what I came up for you! I really put all of myself in this little labor of love :) I hope this story will make you laugh and scream at our two idiots, and leave you with a nice memory of this event! To a nice end of 2020!
> 
> This is probably the longest, single-chapter fic I've ever written and I am tremendously proud of it.

Obi-Wan had always known that he was destined to have two soulmates. A platonic one – name scribbled on his left wrist. A romantic one – name delicately curved around his right wrist.

Not every being in the Galaxy got to have two soulmates. Some only had the one, either romantic or platonic. Some had none. There was nothing sad about that, just like there was nothing particularly ecstatic about having one or two soulmates. It just was. The truth of the matter was that it was incredibly hard to find one’s soulmate, let alone finding two. In a Galaxy so vast and ever expanding, it was considered nothing short of a miracle for two souls to find each other over the course of their mortal life.

Force-sensitive beings had it slightly easier, in that regard. Through the Force, it was possible to feel whether your soulmate had already been born or not, whether they were feeling happy or sad, whether they were safe and secure or in pain or danger. It was still incredibly hard to actually find one’s soulmate, but at least one could know how that missing part of their soul was faring. It was a comfort, if nothing else.

Obi-Wan could admit to himself that he’d had it quite easy.

The name of his platonic soulmate, written in chaotic handwriting on his left wrist, rich brown in color, read Qui-Gon Jinn. It was a name Obi-Wan heard for the first time when he was four-years-old, playing in the creche with the other children from his clan.

A tall, _tall_ , human had walked inside the classroom one day and the Creche Master had turned to look at her class. Excited whispering had started as soon as the man, a _Master_ , had stepped foot into the room.

“Younglings! Younglings! Please greet Master Qui-Gon Jinn like I taught you.”

Everyone had greeted the Master with respectful little bows, clear, tiny voices rising in a chorus. Everyone but Obi-Wan. He’d stood up, like the rest of the class, but he’d moved teeny, tiny steps closer to the tall man, until he’d stopped right in front of him. He’d stood up on his tip-toes and even so had struggled to brush the tips of his fingers across the man’s left wrist. The Master had shivered and quickly looked down at the small figure touching him.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Obi-Wan’s voice rang sure and true.

The man, Qui-Gon Jinn, looked at him with wide eyes for a long moment. He knelt down, still towering over the small boy, and gently touched Obi-Wan’s wrist.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he said, his voice calm, warm, thick brogue curling around the letters.

Obi-Wan thought that his soulmate made his name sound like a promise.

Obi-Wan was fifteen-years-old when he managed to confess to his Master, his soulmate, his deepest fear. Something that had troubled him since the moment he’d been able to read the name on his right wrist.

“Master, I think my romantic soulmate is a droid.”

Qui-Gon had looked up from the treatise they needed to help craft between two warring twin planets on their next mission. He’d frowned, surely believing he’d somehow misheard what his young Padawan had just said.

“I beg your pardon?”

Obi-Wan stepped up to his Master, rolling up the long sleeve covering his right wrist. Usually, one kept the name of their soulmate carefully hidden, guarding it jealously. But this was his Master, his soulmate, so Obi-Wan believed there was nothing wrong in showing the man the root of his worries.

“Look,” he said, thrusting his wrist forward so that his Master could read the simple, short name contrasting starkly with Obi-Wan’s pale skin.

“CC-2224,” Qui-Gon read out loud, eyes skimming the black letters signaling with their lack of color that Obi-Wan’s romantic soulmate had yet to be born. “Well, it’s certainly an unusual name. We don’t know for certain that it means your romantic soulmate is a droid, though.”

Obi-Wan didn’t look too convinced. “I don’t think a person would have a name like this, Master.”

“The Galaxy is vast, my young Padawan.” Qui-Gon smiled at the crossed expression that had taken residence on Obi-Wan’s face. “For all we know your soulmate could belong to a culture that considers normal to have names like the one on your wrist.”

“I’ve already checked the Archives and there’s no trace of a culture with names like this one,” Obi-Wan grumbled, slumping in a chair at their dining room table.

“Then perhaps they are part of a culture we have not yet met. Wouldn’t that be exciting? Now, focus on the treatise, my Padawan. It will do you no good to obsess over your future soulmate.”

Obi-Wan tried to do just that in the following years, knowing his Master wasn’t wrong in saying that nothing would come out of obsessing over someone he probably wouldn’t even meet. It was already incredible to have found one of his soulmates so early in life. To find the second one would have been nothing short of miraculous. Not to mention that his obsession could very well stray into the territory of attachment and Obi-Wan wanted to be the best Jedi possible.

Yet, he couldn't help how sometimes he would lie in bed at night, finger tracing over the two Cs and the four clinical numbers on his skin. Over the course of the years, Obi-Wan had discovered that he found both male and female forms to be equally attractive, but the name on his wrist seem to indicate that he would like even droids and that...he couldn’t lie, it was a disturbing thought.

He’d done plenty of research in the Archives to see if, perhaps, there had been someone else with numbers instead of letters on their wrist. Yet, every source he found explicitly stated that every being in possession of a soulmate, had their name appear on the wrist of the recipient. All the lists of soulmates’ names recorded for posterity showed...well...normal-looking names easily placed into this or that culture. No-one had ever reported having a...a...serial number, that was the only way to define what Obi-Wan had.

There was nothing to be done, Obi-Wan knew that. Save for finding his soulmate and learning who or _what_ they were, and Obi-Wan had no way of knowing where to find them. It seemed he would just have to accept the reality of things.

Well, at least he had Master Qui-Gon with him.

Obi-Wan was twenty-five-years-old when the name scribbled on his left wrist lost its color, becoming a faint scar barely visible on his pale skin.

At that point, his reality shrunk down to only two certainties.

Master Qui-Gon had joined the Force.

Obi-Wan had become responsible for a nine-years-old boy.

Back in the quarters he had shared with his Master, Obi-Wan allowed himself the time and the privacy to grieve for the loss of his soulmate. Master Yoda and Master Windu had already made appointments for him with a mind-healer to work through the loss made doubly painful by the fact that Master Qui-Gon had been his soulmate, his companion, the person who knew him best.

They’d had a rough start, Obi-Wan couldn’t deny it. But in the dusty, dark mines on Bandomeer, the two of them had come to the conclusion that together was the only way to be. Qui-Gon had been a damaged man. The loss of his previous Padawan had left deep wounds that Obi-Wan couldn’t hope to heal. As a result, Qui-Gon hadn’t been as open with Obi-Wan as one would expect between two soulmates. Still, there had been companionship between them. A friendship made up of respect, intellectual compatibility and understanding. They had become a great team, and Obi-Wan had learned everything he could from Qui-Gon, always eager to soak in whatever tidbit of knowledge his Master shared.

But now, Qui-Gon was dead and Obi-Wan, a Knight with his own Padawan to train, felt lost. Unmoored.

Obi-Wan looked around his quarters (just thinking of this place as his brought a new wave of pain), eyes flitting over all the trinkets his Master had left behind. He felt oppressed. Obi-Wan walked quickly into the bedroom, hoping to find some relief. Qui-Gon always said that one’s bedroom should be devoid of everything save the basics needed to sleep. Obi-Wan realized his mistake as soon as he set foot in his Master’s sleeping quarters. The scent that he had always associated with his Master, the mixture of freshly wet earth, flowers in bloom and a faint trace of rain, was everywhere.

Obi-Wan felt sick, the scent cloying.

He fled to the fresher, quickly discarding his clothes and stepping under the water shower. He set the temperature to scalding and let the water rush over him, closing his eyes as it ran down his face.

Knowing there was no use in delaying the inevitable, Obi-Wan opened himself up to the Force and let himself experience the pain he’d been holding locked deep inside of him in full power. Tears gathered in his eyes as he remembered holding his Master’s body in his arms, his warmth slowly seeping away, his feeble voice in those last moments so different from the gentle rumbling Obi-Wan had always associated with safety and fatherly love. The feeling of the tip of Qui-Gon’s finger tracing his cheek, one last gesture of affection before he joined the Force he loved so much.

Obi-Wan knelt in the shower. He acknowledged what had happened and released it into the Force, bracing himself for what he had to do. He took a deep breath and allowed himself to remember what the breaking of the bond he’d had with his Master had felt like. The bond they had formed as Master and Padawan had faded gently together with Qui-Gon’s life, the Force easing his Master’s passing. The bond formed between them as platonic soulmates though...that had felt excruciatingly painful. There had been an intense burning sensation, almost as if the lurid red lightsaber that had run through his Master had somehow physically cleaved their bond as well.

He still felt like he was drowning, the air around him heavier than what it should be, putting an invisible pressure on his chest. He was lost and there was nothing that could help him put himself back together. The one person who understood him best was gone and Obi-Wan understood that Qui-Gon wasn’t really gone, he was one with the Force and thus still a part of Obi-Wan. But in the moment, it didn’t feel like that. It felt like he’d lost a vital part of himself without hope of getting it back.

He sobbed uncontrollably, letting his pain fill every corner of his soul. Then, oh so slowly, he allowed the Force to soothe that pain. Little by little, Obi-Wan felt himself breathe a little easier. The pain was still there, and it would still be there tomorrow and the days after, but it was becoming manageable. The Force could do many wondrous things, but even it could not erase the pain felt at the loss of a loved one.

At the moment, Obi-Wan felt simply glad for the numbness that was slowly encompassing him. He felt empty, but he was alive and day by day, he knew he would get back on his feet to accomplish the last task his Master left him.

It was in the middle of that emptiness that he felt it. A sudden pulse, somewhere in the back of his mind.

Obi-Wan focused on the feeling. He took a deep breath when he felt a warmth bloom in his heart, expand slowly to the entirety of his chest, down his arms, in the pit of his stomach, until every inch of his body down to the tips of his fingers and toes, felt alight. It was unlike anything he’d felt in his entire life. He let himself bask in the sensation, eagerly letting the unexpected warmth settle inside him and ward off the emptiness he had allowed to nest in his heart.

The barest tingling sensation made itself known, focused on a specific point.

He raised his right arm, bringing his wrist to eye-level. The once black letters and numbers that made up the name of his romantic soulmate, had now become white, like the never-ending snow on Hoth.

Obi-Wan traced a reverent finger over the lines that had puzzled him from the day he’d been able to read them. He felt fresh tears silently run down his face because he felt it. The moment he focused on the feeling in the back of his mind, he felt it. The steady beating of a heart perfectly synchronized with his.

_Oh, there you are. I’ve been waiting so long for you. I was afraid you wouldn’t be born during my lifetime._

He didn’t understand how, but Obi-Wan already loved whoever CC-2224 was. He loved their weird name as he would love everything about this person. He would love CC-2224 even if they never met.

He smiled through the tears, touching his lips oh so gently to the name on his wrist. He would forever be grateful to CC-2224 for bringing him peace and happiness, when he needed them most. For brightening his darkest moment by merely existing.

“Hello there,” Obi-Wan whispered against his wrist.

Obi-Wan was thirty-years-old when the name on his wrist suddenly changed.

He was back at the Temple after a long diplomatic mission to a Core world. Obi-Wan had been requested to sit in at the coronation of the Queen of the planet’s sector. Years before, Obi-Wan, together with his Master, had helped the then-Princess survive a series of attempts to her life by a terrorist organization that wanted to put an end to the monarchy that had existed for centuries. Now that the Queen was about to be crowned, the High Council of the planet believed it to be a good omen to have the men responsible for the survival of their Queen to be present.

Qui-Gon, unfortunately, could no longer be present to see the satisfying result of their mission, so Anakin took his place by Obi-Wan’s side.

The coronation had gone smoothly, no hitch, no pause in its slew of rituals to bless the now ruling Queen of the Sector.

The young Queen, after the ceremony, stepped up to Obi-Wan, a small chest held carefully in her small, delicate hands. She stopped in front of him, inclining her head in a small gesture of greeting. The crown of stars nestled in her thick, curly hair, produced a joyful tinkling sound when its gems and pearls moved because of her gesture. Her dark eyes met Obi-Wan’s gaze with a calm self-assurance.

“Master Kenobi, I am glad you could come to the Coronation. My people and I owe you much.”

Obi-Wan smiled softly, looking up at her. The Queen was a little more than a head taller than him, a truly imposing figure. “It’s an honor to be here, Your Majesty. My Master would have been overjoyed at being invited to such a momentous event.”

The Queen smiled at him, her eyes lowering to the chest she held in her hands. “I heard about the passing of your Master and soulmate, Master Kenobi. I wanted to express my deepest condolences. The loss of a soulmate is never a grief easily overcome.”

Obi-Wan fought to keep the smile from sliding off his face. Even five years after Qui-Gon’s death, there was a steady ache deep within him that nothing seemed to be able to lessen. Nothing but the glimpses into his romantic soulmate’s emotions he got sometimes.

“When you last stayed here, your Master expressed admiration for the golden trees that grow in the Palace’s gardens. I realize that this token of gratitude cannot compensate for your loss, but I hope it can help you remember your Master’s happiness while gazing at our trees.”

The Queen opened the chest in her hands, revealing a transparent satchel filled with little dark-green seeds.

“These are the seeds of our trees. Master Jinn spoke at length of the Room of a Thousand Fountains inside your Temple. I thought, perhaps, you would wish to plant these trees there so that everyone in the Temple can gaze at their beauty and find serenity in them, like your Master used to.”

Obi-Wan accepted the gift with a solemn bow, touched by the Queen’s thoughtfulness. It was true that nothing, not even these golden trees, could fill the void left by Qui-Gon, but the gift was nonetheless much appreciated.

The Queen’s gift was the reason why Obi-Wan found himself walking down a more secluded path in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, speaking softly to his romantic soulmate as he’d taken to do whenever he found himself alone. He was well aware he would receive no answer, but he still felt the need to involve his remaining soulmate into his life. Every now and then, he could feel a gentle pulse of emotion in the back of his mind, giving him the impression that, somehow, somewhere, his soulmate could actually hear him and was trying to answer to him however he could.

A silly thought, but Obi-Wan figured he could allow himself to be silly every now and then.

“What do you say, CC-2224? Should I plant the tree next to the wroshyr? Or perhaps next to that patch of Alderaanian lilies?”

No answer from his soulmate, just a gentle questioning pulse.

“You are, of course, right. I can’t plant a golden tree next to such flamboyant plants. I need to find something more understated, something that will bolster the splendor of this tree.” Obi-Wan looked around, searching for the perfect spot.

“There,” he breathed. “That’s the spot.”

Tucked next to a deep pool, there was a small cluster of dark-blue bushes with bright, silvery flowers sprouting here and there. Obi-Wan envisioned the golden tree rising from the middle of those bushes and felt the Force swell in approval at the thought.

He knelt on the ground and pressed a hand to the soft, rich earth, appraising it. Obi-Wan had never been particularly good at tending plants and ensuring their health and growth, but Qui-Gon had loved it and so Obi-Wan had tried to learn everything he could to share that interest. He still wasn’t very good at it, but he felt confident he could safely plant and nurture the tree enough that it wouldn’t die immediately. He trusted in the gardeners at the Temple to take care of the rest anyway.

“The trick is doing everything with method,” Obi-Wan said under his breath, digging a small hole in the ground. He took a seed from the satchel and held it in his palm for a moment before putting it inside the hole. “There.” He cupped his hand over the little mound of earth and scooped it back to cover the little seed.

It was in that moment that he felt it. A strong pulse, stronger than any other he had ever felt in the last five years, so strong in fact that it made him sway where he knelt. It was immediately followed by a tingling on his wrist, not unlike the one he’d felt when his soulmate had been born.

Obi-Wan immediately brought up his wrist, eyes riveted to the name of his soulmate. The letters CC-2224 were shifting and for a wild moment, Obi-Wan felt terrified, sure something had happened and his soulmate was dying and he couldn’t go through this again. The letters didn’t disappear, though, merely changed form and color.

Obi-Wan held his breath, waiting for his soulmate’s name to settle. Once it did, he immediately recognized the four golden letters in the Mandalorian alphabet. He read them slowly and carefully, sounding them out to make sure he’d not forgotten his lessons in _Mando’a_.

“ _Kote_ , uh?” he whispered, finger tracing lovingly over the stern lines of the new name on his wrist. He’d never heard of soulmate names changing, but in his opinion it simply meant that whoever Kote was, he was an extraordinarily special person. “A good choice. ‘Glory’, such a pretty name you’ve chosen for yourself, little one. A much better name than CC-2224, if I may say so, darling.”

He tried to project his approval through the fledgling bond in the back of his mind. He didn’t know if his soulmate was Force-sensitive enough to interpret his attempt, but the timid warmth he felt in response made him think the message had been received.

Obi-Wan rested his hands on his thighs, eyes going back to the little mound that covered the tree he had just planted. He thought back to the heavy feeling in his chest when the Queen had gifted him with Qui-Gon’s tree, the ache that never went away, that hollow spot in his soul once filled by Qui-Gon. Those feelings always accompanied him. Even today, as he walked down the secluded paths of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, he’d felt his heart heavy with memories of Qui-Gon and his loss.

Now, however, he only felt joy and pride. All because of his soulmate.

Obi-Wan huffed out a laugh, “My dear, you seem to have a penchant for giving me new, fond memories to replace the bad moments in my life. What a lucky man I am.”

He chuckled at the unsure pulse he received in response.

A Mandalorian soulmate. Well, one couldn’t say that Jedi and Mandalorians got along, but at least they were no longer at war.

Never be said that Obi-Wan didn’t live an exciting life.

Obi-Wan was thirty-five-years-old when the War started.

From the view-port of the little craft he was in, Obi-Wan eyed the Venator-Class Star Destroyer that was going to become his home for the foreseeable future. It was a truly beautiful ship, even Obi-Wan could admit that despite the fact that he held a limited interest in starship models and such. Anakin, seated by his side, kept rattling the technical specifications of the starship with an excitement that radiated in the Force.

“Its 1,155m of length make it possibly one of the biggest ships ever created,” his Padawan was saying. “And take a look at its armament! It’s got turbo-laser turrets and cannons for long and medium range attacks, proton torpedo tubes and tractor beams projectors. Not to mention the 7,400 clones that form its crew. I mean, if the Kaminoans are correct, the clones are like the best weapon we have in this war.”

Obi-Wan turned around at Anakin’s words, a frown marring his expression. “Please don’t speak of the clones as weapons, Padawan. I assure you that they are sentient beings not much different than you and I.”

He needed only to remember his visit to Kamino to know he was speaking the truth. He knew his Padawan and many other Jedi still couldn’t properly grasp who the clones were, but he was confident that they would soon realize it. How could they not? Obi-Wan had only needed to open himself up to the Force while walking around Tipoca City to feel the clones brush against him. Thousands upon thousands of stars shining brightly into the Force, their light as pure as that of a youngling, yet as resilient and weathered as that of the most seasoned of soldiers. They were a curious mix of young and old at the same time, and Obi-Wan could barely wait to live among them.

The rhythmic pulse in the back of his mind, betrayed a similar state of excitement.

Obi-Wan pressed his thumb lightly on the name on his wrist, wondering what could have his soulmate in such a tizzy. By his calculations, his soulmate should be barely over ten-years-old so there were really many different things that could excite him so. He sent a gentle wave of calm and amusement toward his soulmate, receiving an embarrassed impression back.

 _No need to feel embarrassed, little one. I hope you enjoy whatever you’re doing. I hope this war doesn’t reach you wherever you are_.

The embarrassment only doubled, this time tinged with the shadow of chagrin. Obi-Wan frowned, unsure what could have caused such a reaction. He didn’t have time to meditate on it, though, because their shuttle begun the docking process inside the Star-Destroyer hangar bay.

“Now remember, Padawan,” he said, taking advantage of the slow maneuvers necessary to dock a ship safely. “Until you are officially Knighted, you will be acting as my second and Commander so I want you to show the appropriate amount of respect for the position you are in and the men we are here to command.”

“I know, I know,” Anakin waved a hand while directing their ship to the appropriate docking-bay with the other. “I heard you the first five times, Master.”

“Then why do I have the feeling I need to remind you one more time?”

“Relax, Master,” Anakin smiled mischievously, landing their ship with a flourish and standing up. “Just a couple of months and I’ll be out of your hair with my own ship and my own men!”

Obi-Wan sighed deeply and followed Anakin out of the ship. “That’s what worries me.”

“Ah-ah.”

Just outside their ship, there were two men waiting for them. Both were clad in white plastoid armor with gold markings, but while one of them wore also a black _kama_ (if Obi-Wan remembered correctly, that was the name of the skirt-like garment the man was wearing around his hips), the other only had a long antenna on his shoulder, sunbursts markings on the lower part of his plackart and a diagonal stripe on his left cuisse to distinguish him.

As soon as the two men saw Obi-Wan approaching them, they snapped at attention, heels clicking sternly. Far too formal, in Obi-Wan’s opinion, but he understood the troopers need to address them in such a way. It didn’t mean that Obi-Wan wouldn’t try his hardest to get the men to relax around him.

“Walk with us, gentlemen,” he smiled amicably as he kept walking toward the lines of troopers he saw gathered toward the back of the hangar. “I’m Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is my Padawan Anakin Skywalker.”

“Ahem,” Anakin threw a pointed look at his Master.

Obi-Wan ignored him.

The man with the sunbursts pattern on his plackart picked up his pace and walked next to Obi-Wan, half a step behind him to his right. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, General,” he said, nodding in greeting before turning toward Anakin and doing the same. “Commander.”

“May I know your names, troopers?” Obi-Wan asks not breaking stride.

“I am Captain Cody and this is Lieutenant Rex, General.”

Obi-Wan stopped mid-stride, breath caught in his chest and heart pounding in his throat. He turned to look at Captain Cody, not daring to hope.

“I beg your pardon, could you tell me your name again? I’m afraid I didn’t hear you.” Obi-Wan requested softly, hands clenching and unclenching at his side as he waited with bated breath for the Captain to repeat himself.

“Uh…” the Captain hesitated, glancing briefly at his companion. “I’m Captain Cody, sir.”

Obi-Wan felt disappointment swell inside of him. For a moment, he’d thought he’d heard the Captain say ‘Kote’ but apparently he’d just misheard him. Admittedly ‘Cody’ and ‘Kote’ were two names quite similar sounding, though perhaps Obi-Wan had allowed himself to be mislead because he still fervently hoped to meet his remaining soulmate.

“Of course,” he managed to say. “A pleasure to meet you, Captain.”

The four men resumed their walking until the reached the men waiting for them at attention. Obi-Wan introduced himself to the 212th Attack Battalion as the official High Jedi General of the Third System Army. He spoke to the men as candidly and amicably as possible, calling upon all the experience he had gathered in years spent on diplomatic missions to make the men feel at ease. He knew it would take time for the men to trust that Obi-Wan was on their side, but he hoped that these first moments could ease the process along.

After greeting the men, Captain Cody offered to take him on a tour of the ship, and Obi-Wan gratefully accepted. He barely managed not to flinch every time a trooper greeted the Captain while they walked through the corridor of the Star-Destroyer. It was truly unfair how his heart betrayed him, making him hear ‘Kote’ where only ‘Cody’ was at his side.

Was he truly so desperate to meet his soulmate?

How silly of him. After all, his soulmate was just a child.

Obi-Wan was thirty-five-years-old and two months into the war when he realized that perhaps he had made a terrible miscalculation.

Anakin had been made a Knight by the Jedi Council and had been assigned to his own Legion, the 501st. To no one’s surprise, he’d chosen to keep Rex (promoted to Captain) as his second in command, while Cody had been promoted to the rank of Commander on Obi-Wan’s quite insistent recommendation.

For the first time, Obi-Wan felt alone. He’d been so used to having Anakin with him wherever he went, and before him there had been Qui-Gon and before even that the creche. The life of a Jedi was always full of people from the moment they were settled into the creche in clans, to their training and then their years as a Knight.

The war had changed everything.

Yes, Obi-Wan was surrounded by the 212th, his men, but they still kept him somewhat at a distance. He’d worked hard to make them see he wanted to be one of them, not their enemy or the man to observe and report every time they did something not up to the standards set by the Kaminoans. Progress was slow, however. With each passing day, Obi-Wan was starting to understand the extent the Kaminoans had gone to to make what they perceived as the perfect army for the Jedi. Most days, this realization meant a splitting headache for Obi-Wan, accompanied by the promise to do better at befriending his men.

The one bright light in his days was Cody, his incredibly competent Commander. Being the two in command of the Third System Army and the 212th directly, they spent most of their time together. A tentative friendship had formed between them, born from the mutual understanding that they were in the same boat and if they wanted to avoid drowning, it was better for them to row together.

They had taken to working together in Obi-Wan’s quarters during the evening-cycle, tackling the never-ending amount of paperwork that seem to materialize as soon as they believed they were finished. Other times, they spent hours going over battle strategies and ways to incorporate a Jedi’s fighting style into the careful formations the clones had developed throughout their whole lives. Because of his time on Melida/Daan, Obi-Wan was perhaps more used than other Jedi to the trial that was war, but Cody was a true strategist, carefully and attentively taking into the most minute detail to come up with a plan that would reduce as much as possible their casualties while leading them to victory.

The more boring evenings, were spent going over the vast arrays of forms the GAR had come up to requisite basically anything, from the standard soap used by the crew of the Star-Destroyer to their weapons and equipment. Cody had at first shouldered the burden of filling such requisition forms, but since Obi-Wan was trying to prove a point, he’d decided to let the General handle more and more responsibility. Together with him, of course.

It was during one of those evening that Obi-Wan came across a form he couldn’t understand.

“Cody, could you please help me? I’m afraid I don’t understand what this form is for.”

Cody looked up from his datapad. “What form is it?”

Obi-Wan scrolled back to the top of the form. “Form A11-T-17.”

“It’s to request more troops, General. We need men to fill the void in the ranks from the latest mission.” Cody said, eyes going back to his paperwork.

“But A11 is the form used to request more weapons, is it not?” Obi-Wan couldn’t stop the dread pooling in his stomach. A request for more troops was equal to one requiring more weapons in the GAR’s eyes? What was this nonsense? “And what about this section? It requests I choose which batches I would prefer from CT-7000 to CT-22-8000. What does this mean?”

Cody set down the datapad he’d been working on to stare at his General. “Those are the numbers of the troopers they are ready to ship. They are probably still decanting the newer batches, but they have others ready for deployment.”

He spoke with such calm about numbers and batches that Obi-Wan simply couldn’t understand how to react to what he was hearing. How could Cody speak of the other clones as if they were numbers, itemized and shipped around the Galaxy like one would ship ration bars and rifles.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean numbers? What’s a batch? Cody what is this?”

Obi-Wan needed to know. From what he’d gathered during his brief stay on Kamino, he’d known the Kaminoans hadn’t treated the clones (whom they had addressed as products) as people, but he hadn’t even taken into consideration the fact that things could be this bad.

Cody gazed calmly at Obi-Wan, assessing his reaction and perhaps evaluating why he was acting like this. Like everything was a surprise. The fact that Cody might believe Obi-Wan was pretending not to know, or acting as though this was the first he’d heard of the clones having numbers (and it was the first time), made something clench painfully in Obi-Wan’s chest.

“Every clone is assigned a number when decanted, depending on his batch and designation. A batch is usually made up of 200 units if we’re talking about CTs, although sometimes those batches can go up to 500 units. That number drops, though, if they need to decant a unit that will cover a specific role, like CCs for example.”

Obi-Wan listened with horrified interest as Cody spoke of such dehumanizing process to create what he referred to as ‘units’. No, what the _Kaminoans_ referred to as units. But these were men. Loyal, brave, kind above all. Obi-Wan had met them only two months before, but he already knew there was no darkness in his troopers. They were all safely and securely rooted in the light.

“But you are Cody,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “And Rex, Waxer, Boil…”

Cody smiled wistfully. “We chose those names.”

And suddenly Obi-Wan was reminded of the name on his wrist, the first one. CC-2224. At one point that name had become Kote and now, as incredible as it seemed, Obi-Wan understood why. His soulmate was one of the clones. Perhaps even one of the men he had serving under him right now. Although probably not. If there was a clone with his name on the wrist, Obi-Wan believed they would have stepped forward by now. Unless, of course, they were afraid of the consequences. Having been brought up to be weapons, maybe they did not believe they had the right to a soulmate.

Obi-Wan rubbed his thumb back and forth over his right wrist, unsure what to do. Cody’s eyes followed the restless movement, his keen gaze held a knowing glint that would have upset Obi-Wan if he were in his right mind.

“Is everything alright, sir?”

“Can you keep a secret, Cody?” He didn’t know what was pushing him to confess such a private thing to his Commander, but trusting Cody had always felt easy. From the very beginning. Sometimes it frightened Obi-Wan how close he’d gotten to his Commander, his friend.

“Of course, sir.”

Obi-Wan felt his honesty into the Force. “Are you familiar with soulmate names?”

“I am, sir.”

Cody spoke with an edge of discomfort, his voice tight, no longer the easy drawl he’d used before. Obi-Wan grimaced, realizing immediately his faux pas. Because why wouldn’t the clones be aware of soulmates? They were people, just like everyone else in the Galaxy. Of course they knew what soulmates were and had them too.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan apologized, receiving a gracious nod in return. “Well, as it is I believe my romantic soulmate’s name used to be one of your brothers. Unless, all of this is a huge coincidence, and you know how I feel about coincidences.”

Cody nodded along with his words. “There are no coincidences, there’s only the Force,” he repeated what Obi-Wan had said the first time a clone had muttered the word ‘coincidence’ around him. “But you said ‘used to’. You no longer have this name, sir?”

“Oh I still have it!” Obi-Wan quickly reassured Cody as he’d felt a thread of panic slither into the heart of the Commander. Obi-Wan had not misjudged him, his Commander truly was a kind soul worrying like that over someone else’s soulmate. “It changed about five years ago. Now, it’s a name. That’s why I believe I have one of your brothers’ name on me.”

“That seems to be the correct deduction, yes,” Cody agreed. “I do not understand why you are telling me this, sir. What do you want me to do?”

Obi-Wan stood up and started pacing, biting his lip nervously. “I actually do not know why I am telling you this myself.” He shook his head. “I suppose I simply want to know how you would proceed in my place.”

“Sir?”

“This man could be serving under me right now, or he could be under some other General.” Obi-Wan explained. “Should I look for him? Should I wait for him to come up to me? What is the stance on soulmates among you troopers?”

Cody simply stared at him.

“There is also the matter of his age,” Obi-Wan went on mumbling to himself. “So young. Would it even be appropriate of me? Oh dear…”

“Sir,” Cody cleared his throat, stopping Obi-Wan’s rambling. “Soulmates are very much appreciated and cared for among us clones, sir. If your soulmate is serving under you and hasn’t come up yet, I would wager he is trying to discover what you think of a clone soulmate, sir. If you have reached that conclusion.”

Obi-Wan nodded, his mind already drawing its own conclusions based on Cody’s words. “So he’s gathering intel, yes? It makes sense.” If the clones were brought up in an environment that devalued and degraded them, it made sense they would try to get a feel of their non-clone soulmates. If Obi-Wan wanted to draw out his soulmate, he would have to amp up his attempts at befriending his men, showing them he was not like the Kaminoans.

That left only one problem.

“Is it right of me, though, to want to pursue this, Cody?” he asked his Commander. “By my estimation, my soulmate is around ten years old…”

Cody’s expression tightened, “With all due respect, sir, he is not a child. He is ten-years-old.”

Obi-Wan was about to answer that being ten meant exactly being a child. Cody’s expression, though, restrained him.

“How old are you, Cody?” he asked gently.

“Ten and a half.”

Ah.

It seemed Obi-Wan had been looking at things from the wrong perspective. To him and indeed to many other species in the Galaxy, being ten-years-old meant being a child, or at least being young enough to not be considered adults. In his limited view, Obi-Wan had never thought to ask the clones how they saw themselves. He’d heard it loud and clear when the Kaminoans had talked about accelerated growth to make it so the clones would be ready to fight in half the time it would take a nat-born, but he hadn’t fully considered what that meant.

He’d been treating the clones as old enough to fight and die, but not old enough to speak for themselves.

“I owe you an apology, Cody,” he said sitting down to face his Commander. “I did not think about your side in all this. Every day I fight by your side and when we talk, I feel like I am talking to a man. And I am. Sometimes, though, it just hits me how young you and your brothers are when compared to me.” He gazed at Cody, hoping the Commander could feel how sorry he was for the unintended offense. “Young, but not children.”

There was not much else to say on that regard so the two went back to their paperwork. This time, Obi-Wan made it a point to take note of all the forms that treated the clones as items to be shipped around. It was his intention to bring up the terrible way the clones were treated at the next Council meeting. After that, he would have to contact both Senator Amidala and Senator Organa to start the process of fighting for the clones’ rights.

When the time came for Cody to leave, he stopped by the door and faced Obi-Wan one last time.

“Sir, if you wish to track down your soulmate, there is a database with all the clones’ designation numbers. You can easily discover who your soulmate is and if he is serving under you.” Obi-Wan was taken by surprise by the Commander’s words. He’d thought they had mutually decided to drop the subject of soulmates after the little snag in their conversation.

“Do you think he would appreciate it?” he asked cautiously.

Cody took a moment to answer. “I think he would prefer if you met like regular soulmates instead of being tracked down by a number he thought he’d left behind, sir.” Obi-Wan nodded, agreeing with his Commander. “This is just my opinion, sir. You are the General.”

Cody saluted him before leaving the room.

Obi-Wan found himself alone with thoughts and with a choice to make. It was tempting, knowing he could easily find out who his soulmate was, where he was, and arrange for a meeting so they could finally see each other. But it wasn’t the right thing. Cody’s words had made it clear, and even before hearing what his Commander had to say on the matter, he’d known that hunting down his soulmate through the same channels that identified him as an item in the GAR’s eyes, was not the way he wanted the two of them to meet.

He rolled up his sleeve, baring the name of his soulmate and gazing fondly at it. The golden letters contrasted nicely with his pale skin, the color reminding Obi-Wan of the 212 th  chosen paint for the once stark white armor.

“It seems I might have offended you all this time by calling you ‘little one’, my dear,” he murmured. “Would you accept my apology?”

He huffed out a little laugh at the fond exasperation he felt swelling in the back of his mind. His soulmate was such an understanding man.

“What should I call you, now?” he teased. “Perhaps I should just stick to ‘my dear’ or maybe ‘darling’, what do you say?”

The fond exasperation turned to flustered affection. Obi-Wan could almost imagine his soulmate blushing prettily.

“Darling it is.”

Obi-Wan was thirty-six-years-old and more than one year into the war when he realized he was in trouble.

The way his heart lurched something awful in his chest as he watched, helpless, as Ventress slammed Cody’s body against the dilapidated side of a building in the ruins of the village they were fighting in, was a telltale sign of feelings he’d been fighting to ignore for some time. Cody’s body fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut and there it remained, unmoving.

With an obscene laugh, Ventress made as if to jump on the defenseless body of his Commander, lightsabers already poised to deal a fatal blow. For a brief moment, Obi-Wan felt like he was back in the bowels of Theed, forced to watch as his Master and soulmate was pierced through by a red lightsaber. He felt again the pain, the emptiness left by an unthinkable loss. It was only for a moment, but it was enough to spur him into action with a swiftness of feet he’d never displayed before.

He Force-pushed Ventress away and put himself between her and Cody’s unconscious body. Feet apart, planted solidly on the ground, he eased his body into the familiar opening stance of Soresu. The Third Form was meant to be an impenetrable defense around its practitioner, but Obi-Wan had every intention of showing how it could be used to prevent anyone from laying a single finger on his Commander’s body.

As Ventress climbed back on her feet and started prowling back and forth in front of him, Obi-Wan felt his men quickly approaching his position. They couldn’t get too close, not with Ventress still on the battlefield and more than eager to claim another clone’s life to delight in the way such a death would be felt by Obi-Wan. If he wanted his men to start first rescue procedures on Cody, Obi-Wan would need to drive Ventress away.

“My my, Obi-Wan.” Ventress’ hissed with a demented smile marring her features. “What am I looking at? You seem awfully _attached_ to that clone. Don’t you have a million more like him that could easily replace him?”

Obi-Wan swallowed the instinctual response that rose to his lips. That there were indeed millions of clones but there was only one Cody. That each clone was different but Cody’s life was precious and irreplaceable. That Obi-Wan could no longer imagine fighting day after day without Cody always at his side.

“What? No clever comeback?” Ventress derided him. “You truly care for that flesh-droid...how _disgusting_ of you, Kenobi. I expected more from the perfect Jedi.”

Ventress didn’t give him the time to come up with a rebuttal, launching herself at him, red lightsabers twirling expertly around her. Obi-Wan let himself sink into a heavy battle meditation, drawing the Force close around him, guiding him with its prescience. He felt no fatigue as he parried Ventress’ relentless attacks, his arms slid seamlessly from one parry into another then striking in a quick attack that made his opponent fall back.

One step forward. Two quick steps to the side. Arms raised to block a downward blow that would have cut him in half. A skillful rotation of the wrist to send the lightsaber just blocked toward Ventress’ opposing arm, forcing her to move backward still to avoid losing an arm. Pressing forward to not give her the time needed to regain her footing, because Soresu was the Defensive Form for those who knew just when to attack.

Obi-Wan fought with a clarity that brought him back to the years spent training in the Temple Dojo with Master Cin Drallig. For all that diplomacy had quickly become Obi-Wan’s favored form of combat, he couldn’t deny that nothing made his blood sing quite like sword-fighting. The simplicity of a lightsaber duel, with its lightning-quick moves, elegant steps and clear diving lines between the opponents had always appealed to him. If every day he felt plagued by insecurities as a Master, as a member of the Council, as a friend and mentor to Anakin, Obi-Wan always felt sure of himself in a duel.

In that moment, in the ruins of that village, facing that Sith assassin, Obi-Wan was the shield that would protect Cody. He was the one thing separating his dear Cody from certain death.

It was motivation enough to win.

In the end, it was an error in judgment. Ventress needed to step to the side to avoid the wide arc created by Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, and her step was just an inch to wide, making her stumble minutely. It was enough. Obi-Wan’s lightsaber rose, following the movement of Ventress’ arm as she tried to regain her balance, and neatly cut in half the hilt of her red saber. Enraged by the loss of her weapon, she struck messily with her remaining lightsaber. Obi-Wan calmly ducked under the blow, twisting to strike his opponent right under her chin with his elbow. Stunned by the unexpected blow, Ventress’ grip on her lightsaber loosened enough that a well placed Force-push sent it flying far away.

With a wide sweep of his foot, Obi-Wan sent Ventress to the ground, immediately placing the tip of his lightsaber close to her neck.

“You are defeated,” he said simply, barely breaking a sweat.

Ventress bared her teeth, ready to snarl at him in all her anger. She never got the chance. The troopers that had initially stayed back, quickly circled her and Boil didn’t waste a second in aiming his blaster at her. The blue light of a stun-bolt flashed before their eyes and Ventress fell on her back, unconscious.

Obi-Wan only deactivated his lightsaber once Force-dampening handcuffs were placed around her wrists, effectively neutralizing her.

“We’ve got her, sir,” Boil assured him, already signing to his brothers to prepare for her transport back to the _Negotiator_.

Obi-Wan nodded, sparing a moment to feel Ventress through the Force and make sure she truly was defeated, before sprinting to his Commander. PinsAndNeedles was already kneeling by Cody’s side, fingers sliding carefully under his helmet to check for injuries without jostling Cody’s neck. His assistant, Packrat was running a scan next to him.

“How is he doing, Pins?” Obi-Wan asked, falling to his knees near Cody’s head.

PinsAndNeedles looked at the screen on his assistant’s datapad when Packrat tilted it toward him. “Miraculously, no broken bones according to the scan which is always good. No sign of internal bleeding either.”

Gently, PinsAndNeedles removed Cody’s bucket and set it to the side. Cody was bleeding from his nose, no doubt a byproduct of being slammed full-force against a wall, but otherwise he looked uninjured.

“Can you wake him up for a moment?”

Obi-Wan nodded at PinsAndNeedles’ request. He touched his fingertips lightly against Cody’s forehead, noticing distractedly that his skin felt hot and damp with sweat. He sent a gentle thread of the Force inside Cody, urging him to wake up. Cody twitched lightly before groaning softly and opening his eyes to slits.

“Hello there,” Obi-Wan whispered, a small smile forming on his lips.

Cody tried to speak but the only sound that came out of his mouth was a pained whimper. Obi-Wan’s heart clenched at the sound and he bent forward to do not even he knew what, but PinsAndNeedles anticipated his movement. The medic bent over Cody and flashed a light in his eyes, checking his pupils dilation and making the Commander hiss in pain. Next, PinsAndNeedles held up three fingers in front of Cody’s eyes.

“How many fingers, Commander?”

Cody frowned. “...Three? Don’ know...’s all blurry…” he groaned.

“It usually is when you suffer a concussion,” PinsAndNeedles remarked, signing to Packrat and a few troopers nearby to load up the Commander and transfer him back to the _Negotiator_.

Obi-Wan observed while the troopers carefully moved their Commander on a stretcher, Cody weakly protesting that he could walk all on his own. Packrat mercilessly tightened the restraints across his Commander’s chest, waist and legs, effectively pinning him to the stretcher and leaving him no chance to stand up. PinsAndNeedles nodded approvingly, an impressed eyebrow arching up.

“Is he going to be alright?”

The medic rolled his eyes, “The Commander’s head is as hard as it gets, General. He’ll be up and about in no time.”

“Good. That’s good,” Obi-Wan breathed in relief.

PinsAndNeedles turned to look at him at his soft exhalation. Obi-Wan didn’t know what the medic saw on his face, but there must have been something telling in his expression for PinsAndNeedles’ eyes softened and he spoke in the gentle tone he usually reserved for the shinies. Obi-Wan would have felt offended if he hadn’t felt so rattled by what had just happened.

“He’s going to be fine, General. Hits to the head are nothing to underestimate, but I can assure you nothing bad is going to happen to the Commander.” The medic frowned as he looked Obi-Wan up and down. “I would suggest you rest for a while, sir. Maybe a sonic. You don’t look too good, General.”

Obi-Wan nodded absentmindedly, following meekly after the medic.

Once on board the _Negotiator_ , Obi-Wan had half a mind to go immediately to the sick-bay, just to make sure Cody was really alright. A quick glance at himself however, convinced him that it was better to stop by his quarters first. He looked horrible and it simply wouldn’t do to let the troopers see their General in such a state. It was important they kept seeing him as their unshakable Jedi and at the moment he felt everything but unshakable.

Back in his quarters, he quickly stripped off his singed tunics and threw them in a bin to be collected by the maintenance droids when they came to clean his rooms. He made quick work of his sonic and then stepped up in front of the mirror in his fresher, towel around his hips, to take care of his hair and beard. Ventress had managed to cut off a few locks on his right side so now he needed to even out his cut or he would simply look stupid. Since he already had his scissors in hand, he figured he might as well trim his beard and be done with it.

Once he was done, he washed his face to rinse off any stray hair, and that’s when his eyes fell on his soulmate’s name. He took a couple of steps backward and sat down on the little stool he kept close-by.

What was he doing?

He had a soulmate somewhere, probably closer than he thought, and earlier that day he’d let himself slip up when Cody had crumbled to the ground. There was no mistaking the way his heart had nearly jumped out of his chest when he’d thought Cody to be seriously injured. And the way he’d stood between Ventress and Cody as if his life depended on it. Sure, he thought of Cody as a friend, probably the closest friend he’d had in a very long time, but he couldn’t keep lying to himself.

The more he spent time with Cody, the more his feelings deepened. What had started as a beautiful friendship, had not so slowly developed into something more. Nothing had really happened between them. There had been no inappropriate contact, nothing untoward. Only stares that hinted at a possibility both of them were interested in. Obi-Wan wouldn’t allow himself to stray into more dangerous territories. It wasn’t uncommon for people to end up with someone who wasn’t their soulmate. It was so hard finding one another, that there really was no reason to save oneself for someone one probably wouldn’t meet. Obi-Wan himself had had relationships over the years.

It was knowing that his soulmate was one of the clones, maybe under his command in that exact moment, only a quick research through a database keeping them from finding one another, that had prompted Obi-Wan to remain unattached. His plan had been to wait for his soulmate to make the first move whenever he felt ready and, if he chose to remain hidden, then Obi-Wan had decided he would look him up once the war was over.

But Cody...oh Obi-Wan had failed to factor in Cody.

Cody who took the time to study the way in which Obi-Wan prepared tea for himself, and then had promptly prepared a cup for him every time the two of them spent their nights doing paperwork. Cody whose dry sense of humor never failed to make Obi-Wan laugh. Cody who always made sure all his brothers were being taken care off after a mission, before worrying about himself. Cody who wasn’t afraid to show his curiosity to Obi-Wan, eagerly gobbling down every novel Obi-Wan had to lend him and discovering a fine appreciation for Jedi poetry. Cody who had recently started talking about what he wanted to do after the war.

Sweet, caring, steady Cody.

“I’m sorry, darling. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m a terrible soulmate, I’m afraid,” Obi-Wan murmured, eyes fixed on the golden letters on his wrist.

He focused on the feeling of his soulmate in the back of his mind and received only a muffled sensation. It happened from time to time. Perhaps his soulmate was sleeping. He certainly hoped he wasn’t injured.

The sound of his commlink going off made Obi-Wan spring into action. He quickly snatched his comm up from where it still was, buried under his tunics. It was PinsAndNeedles telling him that Cody had been stabilized and could receive visits.

Obi-Wan dressed himself quickly and grabbed his robe before leaving his quarters. Along the way, he cast an apologetic look at his wrist accompanied by a wave of ruefulness through the Force that he hoped his soulmate could feel even in his sleep.

_I need to check on him, darling. I need to make sure he’s alright. Forgive me, my dear._

The trip to the med-bay was a short one. Obi-Wan didn’t run through the corridors but he did walk as quickly as he could without drawing attention. When he reached his destination, he took a moment to compose himself before stepping through the sliding doors.

The med-bay was blessedly empty, the sign of a successful mission. It was quite dark inside, the only light coming from lamps set to low illumination next to the empty beds. Cody was tucked safely into bed in a corner of the main room, far enough to not be the center of attention whenever someone entered the med-bay.

Obi-Wan walked quickly up to his Commander, snatching a stool along the way.

When he sat down next to the bed, he suddenly felt eyes staring at him from somewhere in the back. He turned around and immediately noticed PinsAndNeedles staring at him through his office window. The medic brought two fingers to his own eyes before pointing at his General. Obi-Wan smiled stiffly and nodded. Message received loud and clear. No disturbing Cody.

Turning back to his Commander, Obi-Wan was glad to see that Cody looked peaceful. There were no bandages on him and the blood from his nose had been cleaned off. The medics must have already applied bacta to any bruising they’d found because there was no sign of them anywhere on Cody’s face. For all intents and purposes, his Commander looked simply asleep.

Obi-Wan drew his robes closer around his frame, warding off the chill that seemed to never leave the med-bay. Immediately, he frowned in displeasure. Cody hated colder temperatures because his body run hotter than most, leaving him perpetually chilled if he didn’t dress properly. When he glanced at Cody’s arms, left on top of the covers and bared because of the short-sleeve shirt they’d put him in, he noticed there were goosebumps all over them.

He stood up and approached a cabinet by the wall that, if he remembered correctly, held the heavier blankets.

With his prize in hand, Obi-Wan went back to Cody’s bed. He dropped the blanket on his stool for the moment, grabbing instead Cody’s left arm to slide it under the sheets. Accidentally, he got a glimpse of his bare wrist while doing so and immediately berated himself for his rudeness. He still tucked away in a corner of his mind how Cody seemed to not have a platonic soulmate. When he grabbed his right arm, Obi-Wan politely averted his eyes to avoid sneaking a glance at the name there. Finally, he pulled the sheets up to Cody’s chin and then spread the blanket on top of it, tucking the corners under the bed so that Cody wouldn’t dislodge them if he moved around.

“General?”

Cody’s slurred words made Obi-Wan turn to look at him. The Commander’s eyes were barely open and he was clearly not completely conscious. Obi-Wan straightened the blankets and sat down on his stool, leaning forward to meet Cody’s eyes without forcing the other man to move.

“Hello there, Commander. Shouldn’t you be resting? Pins is going to get angry with me if he sees you’re awake,” he said, glancing surreptitiously at the medic.

Cody hummed low in his throat. “Concussion, remember? ‘S good thing I’m waking up by myself.”

“I suppose so.”

The Commander eyed the heavy blanket around him and smiled lazily, burrowing himself deeper with a satisfied air about him. The scene prompted a tender smile to curve Obi-Wan’s lips while bone-deep pleasure spread from the back of his mind – either his soulmate was having a very pleasant dream or he had woken up particularly happy.

“Comfortable?” Obi-Wan rasped, surrounded by the pleasure of his soulmate and his Commander.

“Very,” Cody purred from his cocoon of blankets, causing a very inappropriate tightening of Obi-Wan’s guts.

“I’m glad,” he managed to say. He cleared his throat before continuing. “Is there anyone you want me to contact for you? Let them know you are alright?” Cody had let him know months ago of the fact that he had a romantic soulmate, though he had never said whether he had already met this person or not. Obi-Wan had not pressed him for more information.

The Commander furrowed his brow, needing a moment to answer. “...M’ brothers already know I’m fine...soulmate too.”

“Oh.”

So Cody already knew who his soulmate was. That...that was good to know.

“Heard we captured Ventress.”

Obi-Wan was glad for the change in topic. “We did, yes.”

“I knew m’ plan woul’ work,” Cody smiled triumphantly.

“If by ‘plan’ you mean throwing yourself at Ventress and let her almost kill you, then yes it worked.”

Cody looked at him with a peculiar expression on his face and Obi-Wan surely was mistaking the glint in his eyes.

“Knew you woul’ defeat her.”

Obi-Wan swallowed heavily at the unflinching confidence in Cody’s voice. “What you did was reckless.”

“Soulmate ‘s reckless too.” Obi-Wan blinked at the sudden change in topic. “He’s stupid but that’s okay. He’s my soulmate.”

Cody’s eyes slowly closed and he let out a small sigh, shuffling a bit in a more comfortable position. Obi-Wan eyed him fondly. He reached out a hand to smooth the blankets as his Commander went back to sleep. He went over their conversation in his head, heart clenching painfully at the notion that Cody already had a soulmate and clearly was in love with them. He hoped whoever this person was, they knew how lucky they were.

“I am such a fool,” Obi-Wan scolded himself. “Oh Kote.”

“Mmh?”

Obi-Wan pressed a hand against Cody’s forehead, shushing the Commander and gently enveloping him in the Force to ease him back into sleep.

Obi-Wan was thirty-seven-years-old when he asked the Force if there hadn’t perhaps been a mistake in assigning him a soulmate.

The war had taken an unexpected turn as the Battle of Coruscant had claimed the life of Count Dooku and Chancellor Palpatine both. Obi-Wan and Anakin had been tasked with saving the Chancellor held captive on General Grievous’ ship. Unfortunately, the GAR’s assault had been perhaps too zealous resulting in the destruction of Grievous’ ship while the Chancellor and Count Dooku had still been onboard. A moment before the gargantuan ship started to fall, captured by Coruscant’s gravitational pull, a single pod had been launched.

Later in the day, after the corpses of the Count and the Chancellor had been identified, the team of Shadows sent to investigate had confirmed that General Grievous had somehow managed to escape and find refuge on Utapau. Obi-Wan had received orders to track him down and captured him or, failed that, use whatever means necessary to end the war once and for all.

Obi-Wan had left almost immediately. He would have liked to stay close to Anakin who was grieving the death of the Chancellor. Obi-Wan had never truly liked how close Palpatine had become to Anakin, and he liked even less how his former Padawan always felt disturbed and frayed in the Force after a meeting with the man. Still, he’d taken the time to send a message to Senator Amidala asking her to be close to Anakin in this troubling moment. She had looked surprised at his message and Obi-Wan still hadn’t understood how the two of them thought they were being discreet in their relationship.

Finding Grievous on Utapau had been easy. Reconvening with the 212th and formulate a plan to end the war once and for all less so. Cody had come up with a truly inspired plan of attack, based on simultaneous incursions on the multiple levels of the capital Pau City. A brilliant plan, truly, but Obi-Wan felt he could do more good by engaging General Grievous on his own thus providing the perfect distraction to keep the CIS from discovering them. Cody’s glare had been one for the ages.

In the end they had reached a compromise.

As he jumped down in the midst of a battalion of battle droids, droidekas and magna guards to taunt Grievous and push him into attacking him, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but think that Cody probably hadn’t meant this when he said Obi-Wan could buy them some time. He hoped the way he sent Grievous flying over the heads of the troopers in a spectacular show of the Force was enough to win him some points for when Cody decided the time had come to yell about his recklessness.

It was possible, he could admit, that he had been a little overconfident in his decision to face Grievous head-on. He’d managed to cut two of his arms off in their first engagement, but that by no means meant that the General was done fighting for a quick escape. Nor did it mean that Grievous could be underestimated. A wounded opponent was a dangerous opponent as Obi-Wan was reminded when he had to abandon the safety of his position seated on Boga’s saddle to jump on Grievous’ back. Obi-Wan distantly hoped Boga would save herself instead of following him down the wells of Pau City.

Fighting hand to hand with a more than two meters tall Kaleesh-droid hybrid was definitely not the smartest choice Obi-Wan had ever made. Although trying to kick said Kaleesh-droid hybrid in his metal shins probably took the cake. He wasn’t at all surprised when Grievous sent him flying through the air and over the edge of the platform. Obi-Wan managed not to fall to his death, in fact he even managed to get his elbows above the platform and he had every intention of Force-pulling Grievous’ abandoned blaster to him when he saw a sight he had only ever dreamed of.

Cody was stealthily making his way closer and closer to Grievous, in his hand the lightsaber Obi-Wan knew he had practically dropped on his Commander’s head when Boga had jumped off a platform levels above while following Grievous.

Well, he certainly hadn’t allowed himself to imagine Cody brandishing said lightsaber when giving it back.

Grievous only had two remaining arms and no lightsabers with him, still Obi-Wan felt his heart pound in his chest when he saw Cody’s thumb press a button on his lightsaber, blue blade springing to life accompanied by its signature humming sound.

Grievous turned around to face Cody. Angered beyond any coherent thought at the mere notion of a clone standing before him brandishing a lightsaber, he released a yowl not unlike the one he had produced when Obi-Wan had loosened the plates covering his heart. He advanced menacingly toward Cody who assumed what, in Obi-Wan’s opinion, was a perfect Makaashi opening stance.

It was painfully obvious that while Cody evidently knew how to fight with a blade, he had no idea how to wield a sword that had no real weight to it. His swings were far too wide, with far too much strength behind them to move a blade that simply wasn’t there. Grievous, unarmed and mindful of the danger a lightsaber always posed, ducked expertly under Cody’s swings, not letting the blade come too close to him. Cody held his ground, fending off Grievous’ attempts at pulling the saber out of his hands.

Still, Cody was in evident need of a hand.

Obi-Wan focused on the blaster still abandoned on the ground and, stretching a hand, pulled it toward himself.

It was impossible to gauge Cody’s expression, clad in full armor as he was, but two years spent fighting day-in and day-out had taught Obi-Wan how to know what his Commander was thinking, armor or no armor. Immediately, Cody shifted his fighting style, aiming his swings in such a way as to lead Grievous in a slow circle that put Cody in between the General and Obi-Wan.

When Grievous struck next with a wide swing of his arm, Cody let himself be caught in the side of his bucket. He moved with blow, moving backward and absorbing the impact instead of trying to resist it. The movement left Grievous completely open, arms opened wide, offering himself as an easy target for Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan raised his arm, looked down the muzzle of his blaster and shot with no hesitation.

The bolt struck Grievous in the chest, hitting his heart.

The General seemed surprised by the attack, almost not understanding what had just happened. His hands rose to cradle his chest and he growled low at Obi-Wan. The next two bolts lit him on fire that quickly consumed his whole chest and ran up to envelop his head as well. When fire and sparks started to come out of his eyes, Cody intervened and with a swing of the lightsaber still in his hands, cleaved Grievous’ head right of his neck.

General and Commander observed it as it rolled to the side. Grievous’ body fell to the ground with a resounding metallic clank.

Cody stood still, observing the dead body of their last enemy, while Obi-Wan hoisted himself up and slowly walked up to his Commander. They stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes on Grievous’ fuming body.

“So uncivilized,” Obi-Wan said glancing at the blaster he still held in his hands. Then, turning to Cody he said, “Should we trade?”

Cody seemed to shake himself from his stunned silence. He looked down at the lightsaber in his hand and, after a moment, powered it down and handed it back.

“I must say, I didn’t think you would actually follow me to give me my lightsaber back, Commander.”

“I should tape it to your hand,” Cody snorted.

Obi-Wan chuckled and laid a hand on Cody’s shoulder, steering him away from Grievous’ fuming corpse. They side-stepped the head only a few meters away and approached the low wall around the edge of the landing platform. They sat down there, back against the wall, and listened to the sounds of battle still permeating the air.

“We should check on the men.” Cody pulled out his portable holo-projector. Boil’s figure sprung up and snapped at attention.

“What’s the situation, Boil?”

“Everything is under control, sir. We have defeated the clankers on the top levels and we are now steadily making our way down. Resistance is minimum.”

Obi-Wan leaned forward and spoke to Boil. “I saw the leaders of the CIS speaking with General Grievous before he sent them away. Have our slicers go over their data, see if they can figure out where Grievous has sent them.”

“Yes, sir.” Boil nodded at him. “What about General Grievous, sir?”

“The General has been taken care of. He will no longer be a problem,” Obi-Wan smiled.

Boil didn’t say anything for a moment. “So it’s over, sir? We have won?”

Cody shifted beside him and Obi-Wan looked at him as he spoke, “We have won.”

To Boil’s credit, he didn’t let his professionalism slip even for a second. “I will let the men know, sir.” Boil barely waited for his superiors to dismiss him before ending the call, the only sign he was eager to let his brothers know that it was over.

Obi-Wan leaned back against the wall and tipped his head back. The sky on Utapau was clear, tranquil, the only disturbance the LAAT/i that moved across it, making their journey to and from the _Negotiator_ and the other two Star-Destroyers that had accompanied it to this planet. The sound of blaster bolts could still be heard as the troopers moved across the various levels of Pau City, though the battles were steadily decreasing as the droids succumbed to the strength of a GAR high on its victory.

_It’s over, Kote. The war, it’s finally over. I didn’t think this day would come. I didn’t think I would live long enough. I didn’t think you would live long enough. But it’s over._

“It’s over.”

Obi-Wan turned to look at Cody. His Commander had removed his helmet and was looking at him with bewilderment as he spoke the words that Obi-Wan had swirling round and round in his head. Neither of them could truly believe the war had reached its end. It felt too good to be true. No more fighting. No more blood. No more brothers marching far away too soon. No more Jedi joining the Force ahead of their time. No more tears. No more pain. The time for celebration was upon them now.

“We’ve won.”

The expression on Cody’s face at those words was one Obi-Wan had never seen before. It made him look incredibly young and lost. There was something incredibly beautiful in the way Cody’s eyes roamed around as he tried to understand the enormity of the moment, lips slightly parted, skin glistening with sweat, dark curls flattened by the weight of his helmet. Obi-Wan’s heart gave a joyous lurch at the sight, though he also felt melancholy swell inside him. Cody would go be with his soulmate, nothing separating them anymore. Obi-Wan wanted to be happy for him, and he was, even though it felt like he was losing part of himself.

He shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused instead on how funny his Commander looked, gasping like a fish out of water. He was quite the sight. Obi-Wan felt laughter bubble up in his chest and made no effort to restrain himself. What started as a chuckle soon turned into booming laughter when his Commander looked at him all offended, the perfect impression of a disgruntled tooka.

Cody didn’t persist long in his offense.

The Commander huffed out a loud breath before letting himself go. Soon the two of them were laughing together freely. The kind of laughter that made bellies ache and tears stream down faces. It had been so long since the last time Obi-Wan had laughed like this, with his whole body and soul. And had Cody ever let himself laugh out loud? Obi-Wan had seen him smile, smirk and grin, but had he ever heard his laughter? He treasured the sound of it now, impressing it in his mind to keep. They laughed and laughed until they had to stop to take in some much needed air.

“We should go check on the men.”

Obi-Wan nodded at Cody’s words and together they stood up and went to join their men.

Their duties soon separated them for the rest of the day and it was only late in the night on Utapau that they came together again.

Tion Medon, the Port Administrator that had told Obi-Wan where to find Grievous, had kindly opened his home and the Port Offices to Obi-Wan and the detachment of troops that still remained on Utapau. Despite their intimidating appearance, the Pau’ans had been more than ready to share in the joys of the troops at the end of the Clone Wars, and had immediately organized a party to celebrate the troopers. Copious amounts of alcohol had soon made their way through the men, but Obi-Wan had pretended not to see that, preferring to let the men enjoy themselves for once. They deserved it, after all.

Obi-Wan himself was inside the ample rooms that had been assigned to him, finishing a conversation with Master Windu and Master Yoda on the holo-projector studiously situated near the balcony doors. Obi-Wan had foregone the celebrations for the moment, focusing instead on filing all his reports in an effort to speed along the finishing beats of the war.

The door to his room opened when Cody made his appearance. The loud screams and laughter of the men celebrating downstairs filtered through, only to be soon shut out when the Commander closed the door behind him.

“Commander, it is good to see you,” Obi-Wan greeted his second-in-command. “I thought you would celebrate with the men.”

“There is still work to be done, sir.” Cody stopped beside Obi-Wan and looked at the two holograms still in the room. “Generals.”

“ _Not anymore, Commander._ ” General Windu spoke firmly. “ _Now we can go back to being who we were always meant to be._ ”

Obi-Wan smiled when Cody glanced at him, “Has it been announced then?”

“Not yet,” Obi-Wan said, reaching for a glass of dark-red wine he had left near the holo-projector, the only concession he had made that evening. “We have located the remaining leaders of the CIS and a delegation of Jedi has already been dispatched. In a moment, they will reached them on Mustafar to accept their surrender. It’s only a matter of time. This hour tomorrow, the war will officially be over.”

The four of them remained silent for a long moment, basking in the sweet feeling of finally being done with fighting and dying for the Republic. Obi-Wan took a long sip from his glass, eyes twinkling at the envious glint in Mace’s dark eyes.

“ _I say we can end this here, gentlemen. If I’m not mistaken, there is a party going on where you are._ ” Mace looked directly at Obi-Wan. “ _Excellent job, my friend. You too, Commander._ ”

After a short round of goodbyes, the call came to and end. The blue holograms disappeared, letting the room sink in the low lights Obi-Wan had previously turned on. From outside, flashes and low rumbling sounds let everyone know that the festivities were far from over.

Cody removed his helmet and set it down on the holo-projector. Obi-Wan finished his drink and set it down, looking up at Cody when he saw him walk closer. He picked up the abandoned bottle of wine and held it up to show it to Cody.

“Would you like a glass? It’s not Alderaanian wine, but it’s still quite—what are you doing?”

Cody had stopped right in front of him, quite close, far closer than ever before. He’d taken a hold of the bottle of wine and put it right back down, all while his free hand settled on Obi-Wan’s hip. Gently, but forcefully, Cody had backed him up against a low table right behind Obi-Wan, crowding him there. When Obi-Wan looked in his eyes, he saw an intensity there that made something clench deep inside of him, a low tingling starting right at the base of his spine.

“Cody, what’s going--”

Cody’s lips captured his, swallowing the rest of his sentence down.

Obi-Wan had no idea what was happening, where it was coming from. All he knew was that it was far too easy to respond to the sudden kiss. He didn’t waste time, immediately framing Cody’s head with his hands, tilting him a bit to the side so that their noses wouldn’t bump against each other. Cody’s hand on his waist felt incredibly warm and when he slid it across the low of his back, fingers curling around the opposite hip, Obi-Wan groaned low in his throat and pressed himself fully against the length of Cody’s body. He felt fingers in his hair at some point which prompted him to deepen the kiss. Cody released a surprised sound but eagerly parted his lips when Obi-Wan licked across them. The hand on his hip flexed and Cody’s fingers dug deep when Obi-Wan stroked his tongue in a slow caress.

The movement of Cody’s lips against his own felt a bit awkward, unpracticed. Cody, however, was quick on the uptake, deftly copying the way Obi-Wan moved and experimenting a bit once he felt more comfortable. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Obi-Wan realized that this was probably Cody’s first kiss. Created to fight, the clones certainly didn’t have many chances to find partners to practiced kissing with. That, and Cody had probably decided to wait for his soulmate.

A soulmate that most definitely wasn’t Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan pulled back from the kiss as soon as the thought invaded his mind. Cody made a protesting noise and leaned forward to capture his lips in another kiss. Only the hands pressing insistently against his chest stopped him.

“Wait, wait…” Obi-Wan said, breathless. “Wait this can’t...you have a soulmate and I...I have a soulmate. Here. This isn’t--”

“CC-2224.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes snapped to Cody’s.

“What did you just say?”

“That’s the name you had on your wrist, right?” Cody gazed at him with deep, amber eyes. He pulled his hand free of Obi-Wan’s hair and instead curled it around his right wrist. His fingers pressed tenderly to the name hidden under his tunics. “Then seven years ago it changed to Kote, yes?”

“What—” Obi-Wan licked his lips nervously.

Cody’s hand left his wrist and he whined low in his throat at the loss of contact. He watched as Cody brought his hand to his mouth, teeth digging in the soft yet sturdy material of his blacks, and pulled his glove away. The sound of the glove hitting the ground sounded loud to Obi-Wan’s years. Cody pushed the sleeve of his blacks up against the vambrace that kept it in place, far enough to reveal the vulnerable skin of his wrist.

“Don’t—” he closed his eyes and turned his head to the side when he saw Cody raise his arm.

“Look at it.”

“It can’t be. You’re Cody not--”

“Obi-Wan, look at it.”

A shiver ran up his spine. It was the first time Cody had ever said his name out-loud. He’d always called him ‘General’ or ‘sir’ even after Obi-Wan had felt they’d become each other’s best friend and confidante. It was all too much. Everything was too much.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at Cody, right in front of him. The look in his eyes left Obi-Wan breathless. How had he never noticed the love in Cody’s eyes? How had he never realized who was right under his nose, all this time? Obi-Wan looked down at Cody’s wrist and felt tears gather in his eyes and spill down his cheeks.

 _Obi-Wan Kenobi_.

It was his handwriting. Right there. On Cody’s wrist. The reddish-gold letters traced elegant curves on Cody’s bronze skin. Obi-Wan had spent so much time studying calligraphy in his youth, saying that he refused to leave his soulmate with a barely legible scribble on his skin like Qui-Gon had done to him. His Master had laughed until he’d cried that day, apologizing amid bouts of laughter for his poor penmanship.

“See?” Cody smiled softly at him. Obi-Wan grabbed his wrist tightly, using the physical contact to ground himself. “Cody is an unfortunate nickname. I spent a lot of time with the cadets when they were little. Tubies, even genetically enhanced ones, can’t pronounce stuff for shit. Somehow it stuck. But my name is Kote.”

It was such a simple explanation that Obi-Wan wanted to scream.

“Obi-Wan?” Cody asked tentatively. “Are you alr--”

Much like before, Obi-Wan swallowed the rest of his sentence by launching himself at him, lips capturing his in a kiss neither of the two ever wanted to end.

Obi-Wan was thirty-seven-years-old when he realized that he never wanted to stop kissing Cody’s skin.

Slowly, he made his way from one shoulder to the other, stopping at Cody’s collarbone to suck a quick mark there. From the moment he’d admitted to himself he was attracted to his Commander, he’d spent a lot of time eyeing the breadth of his shoulders, fantasizing about the way it would feel to finally get his hands on them. Of course, there were a lot of things he loved about his soulmate’s (what a pleasure to finally call him that) appearance. The tight curls he kept in a neat cut all the time, the sweeping line that went from just behind his ear to the hollow of his throat, the bulging curves of his biceps had starred in many dreams of his. Other things he’d discovered just a few moments before, like the cute little divot at the small of his back.

But the shoulders...

 _I could write poems about these shoulders_.

“Please don’t,” Cody chuckled.

“What?” Obi-Wan murmured, making his way across his shoulders one more time.

“Don’t write poems on my shoulders. You’re great at writing reports, but you don’t strike me as much of a poet.”

Obi-Wan rose on his elbows. He swallowed the offense at being criticized for something he hadn’t even attempted yet, and focused instead on the important bit of information Cody had just casually revealed.

“You can hear my thoughts?”

“Always could,” Cody answered promptly. He ran a hand up Obi-Wan’s flank. “I can always hear it when you’re speaking to me, whether out loud or in your head. But only if it concerns me specifically. I almost got decommissioned when I was younger for talking to myself. Alpha-17 had to pull me aside and explain what was happening.”

“I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan said, fingers going trace the edge of Cody’s ear. “I never heard your thoughts.”

Cody nodded, “I figured as much. I tried answering to you but you kept babbling on as if I’d never said a word.”

“I don’t babble.”

“Sure you do. How do you think I learned about making tea exactly the way you like it?”

Obi-Wan hid his flushing cheeks against Cody’s neck. It was so embarrassing to think that Cody had heard all the things he’d said to him. Sometimes he’d talked about truly random stuff, about planets he’d visited, cultures he’d met and just plain stupid things because he’d always had the habit of speaking to himself. Narrating how he’d made his tea had just been part of his rituals.

“I feel your emotions sometimes. When I’m speaking to you,” he confessed against Cody’s skin.

“I tried different things to see what would work,” Cody said, running his fingers through Obi-Wan’s hair. “Alpha told me that soulmates can communicate in different ways if they’re Force-sensitive. I thought I was completely Force-null but apparently I’ve got enough juice to at least speak to you. I tried drawing, singing, writing and then I figured out you could feel what I was feeling when you talked to me. Made things easier.”

They lapsed into an easy silence, the only sounds those made by their hands as they caressed skin and ran through hair. Neither of them could believe they had finally found each other. Neither of them could believe that they could finally rest in each other’s arms for as long as they wanted.

“Why didn’t you tell me? That day in my office when I told you about my soulmate?” Obi-Wan asked, needing to know why they had to wait when they could have been together two years before, if not physically at least emotionally.

“Various reasons,” Cody murmured pressing his lips against the crown of Obi-Wan’s hair. “Mainly because I didn’t know how you would react. The longnecks didn’t talk about soulmates, they seemed to imply that we weren’t worthy to have them. I hoped you would be different but when I met you, I admit I lost my courage. I wanted to see your reaction to us clones.”

Obi-Wan hummed against his neck, nuzzling against him and tickling him with the scratch of his beard. He’d thought that was a possible reason for his soulmate’s silence. Hearing Cody admit that he wanted to be sure Obi-Wan wouldn’t treat him like a product but would actually see him as a person, made his heart clench painfully.

“Then there’s the fact that you really didn’t think you had an adult soulmate.” Obi-Wan huffed out a laugh at the evident smile he could hear in Cody’s voice. “It was nice to be called ‘little one’ when I was actually little, but when you kept calling me that even when I grew up, I realized we were going to have a problem.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s okay. You didn’t know,” Cody shrugged his shoulders. “I thought about telling you a year or so into the war. I couldn’t, though. I knew our ranks in the GAR wouldn’t allow us to be together the way we wanted to. But now the war is over.”

“Now the war is over,” Obi-Wan repeated.

The silence that followed was pleasant. Finally, there was nothing more standing between them. The war, in time, would become a distant, unpleasant memory. The future was theirs for the taking. Obi-Wan could go back to being just a regular Jedi and Cody could decided what he wanted to do, who he wanted to be. Whatever his choice would be, Obi-Wan knew that they would be together. Soulmates were a gift of the Force, no Jedi would ever demand them be separated. There were so many possibilities just waiting to be explored.

In the end, only one thing remained to be said.

Obi-Wan rose on his elbow and looked down at Cody. He traced the scar that curled around his soulmate’s left eye, fingertips light and gentle as he followed it. He leaned down and pressed his lips against Cody in a kiss he hoped would convey all the love he felt spreading in his heart.

“I love you, Kote,” he whispered against his lips.

Cody’s smile against him felt like a promise that would last their entire lives. His words, when he spoke, made Obi-Wan’s blood run hot through his veins.

“ _Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, Obi-Wan._ ”


End file.
